Thread: Dethatching

We added dethatching to our service list this season, and we are wondering how you guys price this work out? Is it based off what it would cost to now the yard or by the hour? Any advice is greatly appreciated!Posted via Mobile Device

I charge by the square foot, assuming the drive isn't too outrageous. I use a walking roller tape to measure the yard, and charge $60 per thousand square feet to dethatch, blow and truck away the thatch, and mow the lawn afterwards.Posted via Mobile Device

I charge by the square foot, assuming the drive isn't too outrageous. I use a walking roller tape to measure the yard, and charge $60 per thousand square feet to dethatch, blow and truck away the thatch, and mow the lawn afterwards.Posted via Mobile Device

Wow I wish I could get 2400 for an acre to power rake lol. No one would pay that here an were high. We get 150 for a 6-8k lawn that's wide open.Posted via Mobile Device

My price is high for my area as well, however there are a number of reasons why I don't charge the normal "3-4" times the mowing price. For starters, the price to mow a yard can fluctuate depending on how far the drive is, how long the mulch beds take to trim, is the yard wide open or do you need different size mowers to get to certain areas, etc etc. I have one commercial property that is around 20 K sq feet but since it is wide open with almost no trimming and blowing, I only charge them $53 to mow. Now, if I were to charge 3-4X the mowing rate to dethatch, I'd barely make $200 to dethatch a huge yard that would take all day to do. By charging by the square foot of the lawn, it always allows me to make my money directly proportional to how long it will take me to dethatch. Also, it is a starting point if I want to come down. Yesterday I gave my neighbor a quote. The lawn was exactly 10X square feet. I told him I normally would charge $600, but since he was so close and the fact that he offered to pay cash, I told him I would take $100 off and do it for $500. Not only did he tell me to do it, but he also asked me to come back in the fall to aerate ($50/K sq feet for me, of which I also took $100 for him) and overseed. Bottom line is, you always need to base your pricing in line with what it takes to operate your own business, and that can change from LCO to LCO.Posted via Mobile Device